This recipe will walk you through everything you need to know in order to make chewy, crispy and delicious Grilled Pizza. We’ve included our easy recipe for pizza dough for the grill, step-by-step instructions on how to cook pizza on the grill, expert tips, topping ideas and more.
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Easy Homemade Grilled Pizza
There's no need to heat up your kitchen to cook a pizza! In fact, this Grilled Pizza is a good excuse to gather on the patio or deck and make dinner an event instead of just another thing to check off your busy list.
This step-by-step guide will show you just how easy it is to get chewy, crispy, flavorful pizza crust by cooking it over your charcoal or gas grill. If you've never tried it before, Grilled Pizza has a slightly different flavor and texture to it than you can get from a conventional oven.
We’ve given you our recipe for homemade pizza dough that is easy enough for beginners and takes no time at all to throw together. However, if you are looking for a shortcut, many grocery stores also sell premade fresh pizza dough that will work great.
Once you’ve got your dough, you’ll just need to prep your ingredients, preheat the grill and follow our super simple instructions. If you're looking for another out-of-the-box pizza recipe, be sure to check out my tips and tips for French Bread Pizza Recipe.
Ingredients for Homemade Pizza Dough
- Flour - we use all-purpose flour but you can also use bread flour.
- Salt - salt is important for the flavor and for the structure of the dough, so don’t forget to add it!
- Water - warm water is best because it helps to wake up your yeast. It should be between 95-110 degrees F.
- Yeast - we use active dry yeast in this recipe, which needs to be proofed. (check out our Homemade White Bread recipe for more info on activating yeast). Note that if you use instant yeast, you can skip the proofing step and just mix the dough together.
- Sugar - we use regular granulated sugar, but you could also substitute honey.
Best Toppings for Grilled Pizza
Sauce
We’ve given you links to homemade sauces, but always feel free to use our amazing Pizza sauce. Store bought pizza sauce or tomato sauce will work too and will save some time.
Cheese
- Fresh mozzarella cheese
- Goat cheese
- Feta cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese
Pizza Topping Ideas
- Pepperoni
- Sausage
- Prosciutto
- Ham
- Cherry tomatoes
- Bell peppers
- Mushrooms
- Spinach
- Olives
- Pineapple
- Balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt
- Dried oregano
- Fresh basil
How to Make Grilled Pizza Dough
- Proof the yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast and mix well. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, or until it becomes frothy and bubbly.
- Mix the dough. Once your yeast has "proofed," add the salt and 3 cups of flour. Mix on low speed using the dough hook for about 2 minutes. The dough should appear to be a little stringy. Add in the rest of the flour, about ¼ cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Mix on low speed for another 1-2 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth, then transfer to a lightly floured surface.
- Divide dough. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and form them into balls.
- Use immediately or refrigerate. If you want to use any right away, use your hands to pull and spread to a 12-14" round, then use as needed. Otherwise, wrap each dough ball tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
How to Grill Pizza
- Preheat grill to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare your pizzas. Stretch your dough into 12-14” rounds, then brush the top with olive oil.
- Put pizzas on grill. Lift the rounds up with both hands and place olive oil side down onto the hot grill. Brush the top side with olive oil as well, so that both sides are completely covered. Close the grill for 1-2 minutes, keeping a close eye on the first pizza until you get a feel for how hot your grill is cooking.
- Flip pizzas and add toppings. Flip the dough over and add your sauce, cheese and any toppings that you want to the grilled side. (Note: you’ll want to go light on the cheese because it needs to melt in the time it takes the dough to finish cooking). Cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the crust is cooked and the cheese is melted.
- Serve. Once cooked, remove from the grill using a pizza peel or metal spatulas and cool on a wire rack for a couple minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Tips for Cooking Pizza Dough on the Grill
- Brush both sides of your pizza dough with olive oil. It adds flavor and keeps the dough from sticking to the grill grates.
- Go light on the cheese - you want to make sure it has a chance to melt by the time the crust has finished cooking.
- Add sea salt and dried oregano to your pizza before you grill it. It adds so much flavor!
- After you are finished grilling your pizza, cut it up on a cutting board and slide it onto a cooling rack. This prevents the crust from getting soggy.
- An easy make-ahead option is to pre-grill both sides of the pizza dough for about 2-3 minutes, then remove from the grill and let cool on a cooling rack until you are ready to add the toppings and grill again.
Frequently Asked Questions
That depends on the size of your pizzas, temperature of the grill and how many you are cooking at once. According to the instructions we have given, if you are cooking 12-14” round pizzas at 350 degrees F it should take around 5-8 minutes total to grill your pizzas.
Nope, that’s the beauty of the grill! Plus, cooking your pizzas directly on the grill gives them those beautiful grill lines.
We’ve given you a starting temperature of 350 degrees F. You can start with that and then test the waters once you are comfortable. The hotter the grill, the quicker you will have to work! You can also create a couple of heat zones on your grill - one that’s closer to 350 degrees for finishing the pizzas and one high heat zone that is 400 degrees or more for getting them started.
Tips for Grilling Pizza
- This will work with a gas or charcoal grill but a gas grill will give you much more flexibility when adjusting the heat.
- Roll or stretch your pizza dough really thin.
- An easy way to manage the pizza dough is to roll it out on parchment paper and then when it's time to cook it, simply flip the parchment over right onto the grill.
- Brush your pizza dough with olive oil or avocado oil before grilling. (A flavored olive oil is amazing on this such as garlic olive oil)
- Grill both sides of your pizza dough before adding toppings.
- Don't overdo the toppings. Grilled pizza is best with a light serving of sauce, cheese, and other toppings.
- Turn your grill down after you add the toppings. This will allow the toppings to cook while the crust is on indirect heat.
Grilled Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups Water warm (95-110 degrees F)
- 3 Tablesoons Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Olive Oil to brush on before grilling
Pizza Toppings
- 1 cup Marinara Sauce or your favorite kind of pizza sauce
- 3 cups Cheese add about ¼-1/3 cup cheese to each pizza
- ½ cup Pepperoni or your favorite pizza toppings
Instructions
Grilled Pizza Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast and mix well. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, or until it becomes frothy and bubbly.
- Once your yeast has "proofed," add the salt and 3 cups of flour. Mix on low speed using the dough hook for about 2 minutes. The dough should appear to be a little stringy.
- Add in the rest of the flour, about ¼ cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Mix on low speed for another 1-2 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth, then transfer to a lightly floured surface.
- Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and form them into balls. If you want to use any right away, use your hands to pull and spread to a 12-14" round, then use as needed. Otherwise, wrap each dough ball tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
How to Grill Pizza
- Preheat grill to 350 degrees F.
- Stretch your dough into a 110-12” round, then brush with olive oil. Place the pizza crust, oil side down and Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on the underside. Brush the too with olive oil and using thongs, flip the pizza.
- Close the grill for 2-3 minutes, keeping a close eye on the pizza until you get a feel for how hot your grill is cooking.
- Flip the dough over and add a thin layer of sauce, cheese and any toppings that you want. (Note: you’ll want to go light on the cheese because it needs to melt in the time it takes the dough to finish cooking). Cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the crust is cooked and the cheese is melted. Turn the heat on the grill down and continue to cook on undirect heat for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and toppings are cooked.
- Remove from the grill and cool on a wire rack for a couple minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Of The Best Pizza Recipes To Try
- Best Homemade Pizza
- Homemade Taco Pizza
- Stuffed Crust Pizza
- French Bread Pizza
- Combination Pizza
- Pizza Pinwheels
- More Best Pizza Recipes
- More Summer Recipes
- More Dinner Ideas
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This recipe will show you how to make Grilled Pizza from start to finish, complete with a pizza dough recipe and tips to make your pizza delicious every time.
Sherri
Hi Jill, I made this last night and it was a huge hit. When I make it again I am going to take your suggestion and let the dough refrigerate over night to get a little tang!!
Love your recipes! Thanks! ????
sarahK@thecarefreekitchen
Thanks so much, Sherri!